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"How could that be? If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have to marry you. When he married you, he was wearing a bright red wedding dress and looked very happy. Maybe he has something else in his mind. Don't be discouraged. Things will definitely be different if you have a child."
"Child?" Lou Wanyue's eyes lit up when she heard this. She had never thought about this question, but when she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel a little moved. Yes, if Dongfang Run ignored her, at least she would have a child by her side. But would she have one this time? She really hoped so. "But why haven't you made any movement yet?"
Lou Wanyue actually heard rumors outside. Some people thought that the Crown Princess was infertile, or that the Crown Prince also had problems. However, Lou Wanyue could not tell her this openly, for fear of saddening her.
An Qingran smiled when she heard this: "I'm not in a hurry."
"Sister, let me tell you the truth. You should think about it. If you have a child, there will be no more gossip..." After saying it, Lou Wanyue felt a little embarrassed. "Actually, those people are just talking nonsense."
"I know everything. I can imagine it if I think about it..." An Qingran didn't care at all.
Just the mention of children made her heart ache. The wounds from her previous life had not yet healed in this life. If she had another child, would she forget that child who would be born in the future?
An Qingran was in great pain.
The pain continued until Dongfang Jin returned in the evening. Dongfang Jin seemed very tired and irritable. It turned out that handling state affairs required calmness.
Dongfang Jin was annoyed because the ministers still wrote to him today, saying that for the sake of offspring, they wanted to marry a concubine to have more children. Little did they know that he was unwilling to let An Qingran fall into the clichéd palace fighting in this lifetime.
An Qingran gently massaged his shoulders, and Dongfang Jin pulled her into his arms. Looking at the beauty in front of him, all the haze disappeared. For her, everything he did was worth it.
An Qingran smiled: "Why? You had a dark cloud on your face when you came back, but it disappeared so quickly. It seems you were trying to coax me into giving you a back massage."
"Yes, Qingqing's medical skills are amazing. Just a simple massage can loosen up the muscles and bones, and prolong life. I am a blessed person." Dongfang Jin said, lowering his head and pecking her lips lightly, "How can I be so lucky? How can I meet Qingqing? This is really a blessing given to me by God."
An Qingran was so annoyed by him that she laughed: "How can you be so pretentious as Wang Po!"
"I will issue an edict in the future to let everyone in the world know that my concubine is as talented as Bi Gan, more virtuous than the ancient sages, and as beautiful as a fairy, unparalleled in the world..." Dongfang Jin was about to continue speaking, but An Qingran covered her mouth and she jumped up.
"And you, you're still saying that it's embarrassing. If you say that to others, won't you be laughed at by the world?"
"So what? I just want the world to know so that those old pedants won't try to send their daughters into the palace. They don't know that no one can compare to me, and they don't even think about it." Dongfang Jin had a look of annoyance on his face, with a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth.
An Qingran felt very sweet in her heart. She smiled, sat on the bed, pulled the tassel of the bed curtain, and said, "Since you say I'm the best, then you won't marry anyone else?"
"Of course not." Dongfang Jin stood up after hearing this, with a teasing look in his eyes, "Why? You have been depressed these days, is it because you don't believe what your husband said?"
Of course An Qingran would not admit it, but Dongfang Jin did not give her too many chances to escape. He caught her and pressed her against the bed, no matter how much she begged for mercy...
********
Shouwang Mansion.
Lou Wanyue got off the sedan chair and just as she and Dongfang Run stepped into the palace gate one after the other, a royal carriage stopped behind them and said, "Prince Dongfang, please stay."
Dongfang Run stopped and saw a red sandalwood food box with hollowed-out peony flowers on it, which looked very luxurious and elegant. He looked at Madam Rong and bowed hurriedly: "Why did you come here in person? I wonder if the Queen Mother has some instructions?"
"The Queen Mother said that this is the newest lotus root powder cake in the palace this year. She forgot to let you taste it just now, so she asked this old servant to bring it to you, and instructed that I must watch you eat it with my own eyes before I can return to the palace to report. This is really the Queen Mother's thoughtfulness. It is not easy to figure out what an old lady is thinking. So, Prince, Princess, just enjoy it here, and this old servant can go back and report quickly." Nanny Rong said as she brought up the food box with a smile on her face.
Dongfang Run looked at Lou Wanyue, who smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Madam. We are very grateful for the Queen Mother's kindness. If we go against the old lady's good intentions, it would be unjust."
As she said that, she took the box, opened it, and first handed it to Dongfang Run. Dongfang Run didn't show any strangeness. He just picked up a piece, took a bite, and then asked someone to reward him. Naturally, someone offered to reward Nanny Rong. Nanny Rong declined at first, but then accepted it. Then she looked at Lou Wanyue who also ate a piece before she smiled and turned and left.
Lou Wanyue was still holding the food box and walking side by side with Dongfang Run. She did not understand the Queen Mother's deeper meaning.
However, half an hour later, the two of them noticed something strange.
Dongfang Run was reading in the study at that time, when he suddenly felt a wave of restlessness rising from his lower abdomen. The feeling made him stunned for a moment. At this moment, the door rang. It was Lou Wanyue, holding a bowl of sugar water in her hand: "The summer heat is strong, I boiled some pear water for my husband..."
This was what she drank when she was in the Eastern Palace. She asked An Qingran for the recipe, and after she came back and cooked it, it was indeed delicious, so she brought a bowl over. Before bringing it over, she was very hesitant, thinking that she would never get a response from Dongfang Run, and she felt very aggrieved, but she remembered An Qingran's words. Even if he couldn't give her love in this life, at least he could give her a child. Otherwise, what else could she do?
Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the room, she saw that Dongfang Run's eyes looked a little strange. Her cheeks were pink and there was a hint of moisture in her beautiful eyes. She stuttered nervously, "Husband... Husband, don't you want to drink? Then I'll take it back."
She didn't know why, but she just felt panic in her heart and wanted to run away. Somehow, her face started to burn. It was different from the feeling she had on that day when she put on rouge. That day, her heart didn't beat so wildly.
"Put it down, let me try it." Dongfang Run's voice was a little hoarse. She calmed herself down, walked forward as she was told, filled a small bowl and placed it in front of Dongfang Run. Dongfang Run took the bowl, but did not drink it. Instead, he put it on the table and grabbed her hand. Her body suddenly softened into his arms. She hadn't smelled his scent for a long time, and she realized that his scent was the best scent in the world, and his embrace was what she longed for the most. Lou Wanyue felt more and more dizzy. She looked up. He was so close to her, but also so far away. Was it his heart?
She gently touched his heart with her hand. The silk was so smooth that she couldn't feel his heartbeat. She sighed quietly and was about to speak when Dongfang Run suddenly leaned over and kissed her lips. In an instant, all his breath rushed to her face. All her thoughts stopped and she felt a pink in her mind. Was it the apricot blossoms in the rain when she first saw him that year? Or was it the pink lotus embroidered on the quilt on their wedding night?
Night came and went quickly. When the morning light came, Lou Wanyue woke up. She felt extremely sore all over. Last night was too crazy. Before she had time to think, Dongfang Run had already...
He was so crazy and intoxicated, as if she was the most beautiful and desired woman in his heart, but was she?
She turned her head, and Dongfang Run also slowly opened his eyes and met her gaze. There was no tenderness in his eyes as she imagined, but a hint of confusion and embarrassment. He sat up, put on his clothes with his back to her, and said in a light tone: "I have something to do, so I'll leave first."
Lou Wanyue kept watching his back disappearing, then she shuddered. It turned out that love is love, liking is liking, and disliking is still disliking. Nothing can be changed. The only thing that changed is that her heart bleeds once again. She sat up with a wry smile. This time, she told herself not to cry, not to cry, her tears are worth nothing at this moment!
Lou Wanyue felt pain in her heart, and she felt a little hatred, but who should she hate? An Qingran was still helping her wholeheartedly. Should she hate Dongfang Run? He didn't seem happy either. As Lou Wanyue thought about it, she suddenly realized that she was not the only one who had a hard time and a miserable life in this world.
************
September 1st.
The first anniversary of the late queen’s death.
The weather is getting colder, the parasol tree leaves are turning yellow, the lotus leaves in the pond are falling, and the remaining lotus leaves are scattered, creating a bleak scene.
Because the empress dowager was in the palace, there could not be any sad commemorations. During the morning court session, Emperor Yunqi wore a white silk inner garment, revealing a white collar. Some court officials saw it, while others did not. An Qingran pinned a white chrysanthemum in her hair and changed into a plain dress. She had asked Emperor Yunqi for permission to go to Yuehua Temple to pay tribute to the late empress.
Emperor Yunqi naturally agreed.
His health has been improving these days and the prince does not need to attend court every day, so Dongfang Jin will naturally follow him to Yuehua Temple.
The two sat in the carriage, their expressions were bleak. Thinking back to this day last year, it seemed like several lifetimes had passed. So many things had happened this year. Queen Yun had used her last bit of strength to secure a good future for her son, and her last wish before her death had also been fulfilled. An Qingran turned her head and saw the sadness on Dongfang Jin's face. She reached out and held his hand, with tenderness in her eyes. Dongfang Jin smiled back at her, with tenderness and gratitude in his eyes: "Luckily, I have you."
"I will always be here." An Qingran remembered that Dongfang Jin had told her countless times that he was there for her when she was in trouble. This time it was her turn to say this.
They looked at each other in silence, yet filled with tender affection. The sound of horse hooves shattered the tranquility of the mountains and startled a prematurely withered yellow leaf from the treetops. The mountains were filled with the feeling of autumn, just like the two of them at that moment.
Yuehua Temple was absolutely special to them. An Qingran got off the car. The temple was under martial law. The eunuchs in front were standing on the side of the road. Every few dozen meters, a pair of eunuchs stood facing each other. The monks in the temple were all standing at the gate of the temple. The one in the front was Master Liaokong. Looking at them walking side by side, a gratified smile appeared on his face.
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